Polo vs Galileo
Since the art of making fire and creating handcrafted tools, our civilization has come a long way. Science and technology are making advances at an amazing rate. From telephones to the internet, calculators to computers, cars to airplanes, and rockets to satellites, we are submerged in a sea of discoveries and inventions made possible only by the desire to explore. Exploration is one of the oldest and most widespread of human activities. People in all times and places have engaged in some form of exploration. Many think exploration is limited to travels to unknown lands such as the expeditions of Lewis and Clark or those of Christopher Columbus, but exploration is more. Exploration includes the desire to do new things, to formulate new ideas, and to go against the status quo. Marco Polo and Galileo Galilei are two prime examples of the quintessential explorer. Although each explored different realms of the world, they both share common characteristics found in all explorers. Through their travels and experimentation one can see the many similar and contrasting styles each took to accomplish his goals. Marco Polo was born in 1254 in Venice, Italy (Hubbard 2001). He was a Venetian explorer and
merchant whose account of his travels in Asia was the primary source for the European image of the Far East until the late 19th century. Despite his enduring fame, very little is known about the personal life of Marco Polo. He lived during a propitious time in world history, when the height of Venice's influence as a city-state coincided with the greatest extent of Mongol conquest. Ruled by Kublai Khan, the Mongol Empire stretched all the way from China to Russia and the Levant. The Mongols Polo 5 geographic exploration was enormous. His accounts were the only perceptions of the east for years to come and his work greatly influenced future explorers like Columbus. Both Marco Polo and Galileo are very famous in the world today. Each was successful in their ambitions, but many differences can be seen between the two. Polo was born in the 13th century, whereas Galileo was born over three hundred years later. Besides the difference in their time periods, there are many other differences in their voyages. Polo explored the geographic land, while on the other hand, Galileo discovered the laws and nature of the universe. Unlike many explorers, Polo was actually famous during his time. People revered him and wanted to learn more about his travels and journeys. In contrast, Galileo was admired by few. Many thought his work to be heretical and to be in opposition to the Catholic Church. Galileo, like a true explorer, challenged the firm beliefs of his present society with facts and scientific evidence. However, he was not admired for this move and was placed in jail. Galileo Galilei was another very important explorer. He was born in Pisa on February 18, 1564 (Westfall n.d.). At an early age, Galileo manifested his ability to learn both mathematical and mechanical types of problems, but his parents, wishing to turn him aside from studies which promised no substantial return, steered him toward some sort of medical profession (Astronomy n.d.). However, this had no effect on Galileo. During his youth he continued his desire to follow the path that he wished. brought a measure of stability to the lands they controlled, opening up trade routes such as the famous Silk Road (Marco n.d.). Galileo became a firm believer in the Copernican system. Later, he was tried by the Inquisition for his writings discussing the Ptolemaic and Copernican systems. In June 1633, Galileo was condemned to life imprisonment for heresy. His writings about these subjects were banned, and printers were forbidden to publish anything further by him or even to reprint his previous works. Outside Italy, however, his writings were translated into Latin and were read by scholars throughout Europe (Galileo 2). Galileo remained under imprisonment until his death in 1642.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Polo Galileo, Pisa Astronomy, Pisa February, Niccolò Maffeo, Neither Polo, Asia Rustichello, China Mongol, Persia Polo's, Khan Galileo, Galileo Galilei, polo galileo, marco polo, kublai khan, laws motion, laws nature, future explorers, explorers polo, marco nd, marco polo galileo, goals marco, falling bodies, accomplish goals marco,
Approximate Word count = 2052
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
|